


Foregone Conclusions, Part I

by LiberalPartyInMyPants



Series: The Josh and Donna Moments We All Wish We Had [1]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Canon Compliant, Eventual Smut, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:41:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28242546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiberalPartyInMyPants/pseuds/LiberalPartyInMyPants
Summary: Just some head-canon from one of West Wing's biggest fans. This part takes place in Season 7, from "The Cold" to "Election Day, Part 1".*Obviously, none of these characters are my own.*"He gulped down the rest of the outrageously expensive scotch. She didn’t need another drink, but he certainly did to steady his nerves.  He finally got up and scurried after her, fully accepting that he would follow her anywhere for all of eternity."
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Series: The Josh and Donna Moments We All Wish We Had [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068848
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**10/17/2006, 10:30 p.m.**

**Washington D.C.**

She turned to look through the glass door and amidst the twinkling lights, she could see the desire and regret bright in his eyes. The intense wave of disappointment that initially crashed down on her when Edie handed her the key dissipated almost immediately. She knew she was going out on a limb when she laid the key down on the table. He was sleep deprived and running on fumes. What was more, he had probably spent all day convincing himself that kissing her that morning was a mistake and he needed to tamp down his feelings for her.

Oh, she knew he had feelings…STRONG feelings. She had speculated about those feelings since Rosslyn but in Germany, she KNEW. She knew everything about Josh, including that this wasn’t his way of rejecting her. This wasn’t him trying to let her down easy or maintain propriety. This was just Josh being an idiot. As she gazed into his eyes through the glass, she also knew he loved her.

***************************************************************************************************************************************

**10/17/2006, 10:30 p.m.**

**Washington D.C.**

At first he just stared at her clean, natural manicure. Then he noticed the key she was pushing towards him. He was so overcome with lust for a moment that he missed a beat and the key was gone.

He had spent all day trying to convince himself that he shouldn’t have kissed her even though she told him not to worry about it. The more he tried to quash ~the feelings~ the more he noticed her golden hair and radiant smile. He knew he was exhausted because he didn’t even have the energy to keep the familiar old fantasies of Donna at bay tonight in the cab from the White House to the hotel. He had resigned himself to another lonely night. Maybe a quick moment of relief in the shower, although at age 44, that was starting to feel sad. Needless to say, he hadn’t prepared for what she clearly had in mind.

He knew she loved him from the moment he handed her his credentials in Manchester. In fact, he had loved her for about 15 seconds longer, from the moment she told him the truest thing he’d ever heard, _“I think you might find me valuable.”_ They had been playing at this for eight long years and they were finally at the endgame. The key had been strategic, and he was a fucking idiot, he knew it. He watched her talking to the stranger, watched her take the key back from Edie, and he knew that he would love her for the rest of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**10/17/2006, 11:30 p.m.**

**Washington D.C.**

They were three weeks out, what had she been thinking? She had controlled herself for eight years, but one kiss and she was ready to risk it all. She was grateful, in a way, that he was slow and missed the window. Had he made it to her room, she would have been a horny, emotional mess and he would be even more confused. She had grown so much in eight years, going from a naïve 20-something, raptly taking in every rant about philosophers or policy initiatives Josh went on, to a confident woman in her 30s, very aware of her own intelligence and allure. She wanted Josh to know her as the woman she had become but the kiss this morning had caused her to regress.

She made good use of the detachable shower head in the hotel shower and slipped naked between the white sheets. She decided that the next few weeks were too important to waste energy on their sordid love story. Like she had told him that morning, it was bound to happen sometime. Getting Santos elected was essential to preserving Bartlett’s legacy and to distract Josh during the homestretch was tantamount to treason in her mind. She would not be responsible for the demise of this campaign. But she wasn’t prepared to go more than a few weeks without having Josh inside of her either. The night before election day she would change their relationship. Until then, she would make sure their schedules kept them apart as much as possible.

***************************************************************************************************************************************

**10/17/2006, 11:30 p.m.**

**Washington D.C.**

He slumped against the shower wall and watched the evidence of his intense thirst for Donna circle the drain. He had barely made it to the part of his fantasy where she put her hand in his pants before his body gave a shudder and he came into his hand. He said a silent prayer of thanks that he hadn’t knocked on her door the way he so badly wanted to. He wanted to rock her world the first time they were together. Had he gone to her room tonight, he doubted he would have been able to do more than kiss her before embarrassing himself. Plus, he might have cried and ruined any chance of having sex with her again. No, it was a good thing he didn’t go there tonight.

He told himself he wasn’t going to mess it up again though, as he threw on some boxers and flopped onto the bed. He was going to get a special room for election day and win or lose, they were going to change their relationship that night. If she wanted to go for it before then, he would be ready and eager. He was a grown man, perfectly capable of wooing the woman of his dreams. But he also didn’t want to go three more weeks without being inside Donna.

Fuck. _Three weeks_. They were three weeks from election day, the most important day of his life. He wanted to preserve the Bartlett legacy by guaranteeing eight more years of Democratic rule. More importantly, he believed in Matt Santos with every fiber of his being. Donna had walked out of his life and he went and found purpose in Santos. The campaign had evolved from a distraction from heartache to a real chance at changing the world. His last thought before falling asleep on top of the gross hotel bedspread was that he would spend the next three weeks doing whatever he could, for his country and his Donnatella.


	3. Chapter 3

**10/28/2006, 11:50 p.m.**

**Washington D.C.**

She had done a good job with the schedules. Besides a brief moment the morning after the key debacle, she had managed to avoid Josh altogether. She was in D.C. while he was on the trail and when he was in D.C., she was doing the news and donor circuit in New York. Between trips to the White House and Capitol Hill, she stopped in dimly lit stores to pick up perfume and lingerie. Between trips to various news stations, she managed to find time to get a manicure, pedicure, and French wax. She was even able to squeeze in a trip to the gynecologist in and get her Depo-Provera shot.

She was rejoining the campaign the following day and as desperate as she was to be around him again, she was grateful for the sobering weeks apart. She had grounded herself and spent hours reflecting on what _she_ wanted. Her phone buzzed her out of her reverie and she instantly knew it was a text from Josh, even though she hadn’t heard from him since the last time they were together.

_Hi._ Those two letters should not have made her smile the way she did.

_Hi_ she responded.

_When will you be back?_ came the immediate response. He didn’t need to include the _I need you_ for her to know it was there.

_Why, you need me or something?_ She laughed out loud at how flustered she knew that would make him. His response took a little longer this time.

_I’m quickly realizing that you might be the only competent person I’ve ever hired._

That earned him an eyeroll. _Actually,_ she responded, _I hired myself. Remember?_

_I’ll never forget. Now answer my question!_

Another eyeroll. _I’ll be in St. Louis with you all on the 30 th. _

_That’s in two days._

_Yes Josh, I’m glad to see you can still count. You’ll need those skills quite a bit over the next week, I imagine._ She knew she was being snarky, but she was slightly annoyed with him for waiting two weeks to text her.

_Okay, well I miss you._ Damn. She wasn’t annoyed anymore.

***************************************************************************************************************************************

**10/28/2006, 11:50 p.m.**

**Indianapolis, IN**

His heart was pounding unnecessarily hard. He only said he missed her, which was way better than the truth, that he missed her so much his body physically ached. That he hadn’t slept properly in two weeks because he needed her in the same building to be able to have any semblance of peace. That he was terrified losing this election would break him. That the election and their relationship were messily entwined in his mind and he was certain he was going to fail at both.

As much as he missed her, he was thankful that their schedules had been so relentless that they hadn’t been physically around one another in weeks. He needed to focus on the Santoses and Leo and the electoral count. When Donna was around, all he thought about was her legs and her lips and what she might taste like and where they might live in D.C. and…well…he wouldn’t allow himself ~those~ thoughts yet, not until they had at least slept together at least once.

He waited for her response with his heart in his throat. The last time he had seen her, it was 6 a.m., in the hotel lobby, the morning after the BKI (he had taken to calling it the Botched Key Incident, BKI for short, in his mind).

*** **10/18/2006, 6:00 a.m.**

**Washington D.C.**

_He realized way too late that they were about to go their separate ways… He came off the elevator just before the bus was about to leave. He hadn’t rushed to get down to the lobby because he figured they would find a few quiet moments on the bus to discuss whatever it was they needed to discuss. As he climbed the stairs to the bus, last one on as usual, he felt someone grab his arm. He turned to see Donna standing there with a file full of folders._

_“Here, you’ll need these, they are organized in order of city stops for the next two weeks. Don’t mix them up,” she said as she handed him the file._

_“Why do I need this, can’t you just take care of it?” he whined as he tried to shove it back into her hands._

_“Josh, first of all, I’m not your assistant anymore. Second, I have meetings all week on the Hill with House and Senate Senior Staff and then a news show circuit after that. I’ll catch up with you all on the trail at some point.”_

_“What? Donna, I didn’t realize…I thought we’d have a chance to talk on the bus…about ah, you know…” he finished lamely._

_She handed him the file with one hand and squeezed his other hand, briefly caressing his fingers with her own. She gave him a small but warm smile. She didn’t say anything, but he understood. They were going to be fine.***_

**10/29/2006, 12:01 a.m.**

**Indianapolis, IN**

_I miss you too Josh. And hey, look! It’s past midnight, it’s officially the 29 th. You know what that means? _

He was grinning like a fool as he responded: _Yeah. Just one more day :)_ _._


	4. Chapter 4

**11/4/2006, the Night Before Election Day**   
**Houston, TX**

He balked as he signed the receipt. Lou’s audacity was charming but expensive. He was looking forward to this scotch though, he had a big night of brooding ahead of him. He sat down and took in the group. He was hyper-aware of Donna, he could smell her perfume from across the table and wherever he looked, she was in his peripheral vision. In the five days since she had been back, he found he couldn’t look directly at her. At least, not when he knew she was looking back at him. Especially not with other people around.

Here they sat, seven of the people that made up the heart and brain and spine of the Santos presidential campaign. Josh was about to wax nostalgic when Lance and Edie made it extremely obvious to everyone that they were fucking. He was still trying to process that when Lou and Otto basically advertised that they too, were hooking up. By the time Ronna kissed Cindy, Josh’s eyebrows were in his hairline. He turned to look at Donna, who was practically glowing. He blinked and swore an imprint of her was burned into his corneas. She was so bright, she lit up every corner of his brain. He felt exposed.

He tried desperately to find the words that would take them back to the West Wing, where he had swagger and confidence in spades, and she would hang on to his every word. He realized in that moment the monumental shift that had taken place over the last year in their relationship. As Donna sat there with her entrancing smile, he realized that she was no longer his protégé. She was his peer. One that he had been undeniably intimidated by the past few months.

He managed to choke out something quippy about her coming on board. The knowing smile she gave him set his insides aflame. He asked another inane question about a campaign fling, fully knowing the answer. When she uncrossed her legs and slowly walked over to him, his mind seized and his grand plans for changing their relationship tomorrow night went out the window. He asked her if she wanted another drink and the “No.” he received in response was the most erotic thing he’d ever heard.

He tried to calm his breathing, but his vision literally went black when she got up and started walking to the elevator. He had never allowed himself to fully give into the overtly sexual fantasies that would arise when she walked away from him in the White House. He usually tried not to watch her hips sway in the West Wing because there were some things he knew he couldn’t snap himself out of. Now though, he gave in to every depraved fantasy he had ever had about her ass. He gulped down the rest of the outrageously expensive scotch. She didn’t need another drink, but he certainly did to steady his nerves. He finally got up and scurried after her, fully accepting that he would follow her anywhere for all of eternity.

**************************************************************************************************************************************  
 **11/4/2006, 11:30 p.m.**  
 **Houston, TX**

That they would end up together had been a foregone conclusion in her mind pretty much since the day they met. That he would be incapable of loving anyone but her had been a foregone conclusion in her mind since his “relationship” with Amy imploded. That he would eventually respect her as a peer was a foregone conclusion in her mind since the day she walked away from him in the bullpen. And that he would follow her tonight had been a foregone conclusion since she planned this night three weeks ago.

They were in the elevator together, both buzzing with desire and anticipation. He seemed like he was having an out of body experience, so she pressed the button to his floor and turned towards him.

“Josh, you can look at me now.” He slowly turned towards her, his face six inches from hers. She reached into his pants pocket and his eyes opened wide. She smiled seductively as she pulled his key card out and brushed his semi-erect penis in the process. He closed his eyes and swallowed.

“Donnatella…” he choked out in a scratchy whisper. God, she loved when he said her given name. She had worn out many batteries thinking about all the different ways he said her name over the course of the last 8 years. The elevator doors finally opened, and she walked towards his door at the same, languid pace that she had been moving all night. She could hear her heart thumping in her ears and feel the pulse in her pussy. Josh was fully pressed against her as she slowly inserted the key card and she could feel his erection grow against the small of her back as she leisurely pulled the card out of the slot.

When they were both finally in the room, they stood facing each other for several long moments. He reached for her face and she closed the distance between them. The kiss started at the same slow pace but they both quickly realized how impatient the other was feeling and made adjustments accordingly. Donna opened her mouth wider and Josh eagerly began exploring with his tongue. One moan from her was all he needed to begin removing their clothing.

Her skin was hot and she was certain her pretty lace panties were soaked. He was pulling her skirt up over her thighs while she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it out from his pants. He had no idea how to deal with her clothes, so she pulled away from him slightly, rested her forehead against his and smiled. They were both panting. She shoved him a little and he fell onto the bed with his shirt open and pants unbuttoned.

She never broke eye contact with him as she stripped her sweater and skirt off. She stepped out of her heels which seemed to snap him out of his daze. He quickly ripped his shirt and t-shirt off and stood up to remove his pants, shoes, and socks. She quickly ripped her pantyhose off and tossed them aside. They stood there once again, facing one another in just their underwear. She was busy taking in all of him, eyes lingering on the scar that bisected his chest. When she looked into his eyes again, she felt self-conscious at the naked lust she saw there. She looked down at her own body and silently chastised herself for forgetting to put on the beautiful but very uncomfortable ice blue lace bra that matched the panties. Josh didn’t seem to care.

She walked towards him and pushed him onto the bed again. His fully erect penis was sticking out of the opening in his boxers and her mouth went dry. She stepped between his legs and put her hands on his shoulders. He put his hands on her waist and suddenly pulled her into a tight hug, with his face pressed into her stomach. She wrapped her arms around his head and allowed herself to shed one tear then two. This may have been a foregone conclusion but that didn’t make it any less life-altering.


	5. Chapter 5

**11/5/2006, Election Day, 12:01 a.m.**   
**Houston, TX**

He knew she was crying but he didn’t have to ask why. He was on the verge of tears himself. It was almost too much. He peeled himself out of the hug and looked up at her one time to get permission. She nodded imperceptibly and they both let out deep breaths they hadn’t realized they were holding in.

He reached for her hips again and slowly caressed her stomach and back and ass. He took the knuckles on the first two fingers of his right hand and stroked the front of her panties from the waistband, all the way to the bottom between her legs. She dug her nails into his shoulders, and he could feel the moisture collecting in the crotch of her panties. He held onto her thigh with his left hand and with his right, he moved her panties aside and started gently caressing her folds. She was so wet, so inviting, that he almost came right then. He quickly pulled her panties down and she unclasped her bra at the same time.

There she stood in all her glory, alabaster skin flushed pink. He had imagined seeing her naked at least one million times over the course of the last eight years but evidently his most vivid fantasy could not do her justice. Her boobs were beautifully round and white with dark pink nipples perfectly in the center. Her pussy was flushed dark pink and he could tell that her arousal was making it puffy. He traced the strip of hair that led straight down to her clit. He rubbed her ass cheeks with one hand and used a feather light touch on her smooth vulva with the other.

He felt her trembling and heard her whisper “Please Josh” so he penetrated her with his finger. He used his other hand to spread her pussy lips apart and immediately found her clit with his thumb. With his fingers still inside of her, he pulled her closer to him and began tonguing her clit. With slow and steady strokes, he used two fingers to massage her g-spot and simultaneously used the flat part of his tongue to lap at her clit. Within one minute, he felt her muscles contract and spasm as her knees gave out. She collapsed against his chest and they both fell back onto the bed. She rolled off of him, on her back, spread eagle on the bed. He crawled up towards her, continuing to touch and kiss every part of her body he could reach while kicking his boxers off at the same time.

When both their heads were on the same pillow, they turned to face one another and stare into each other’s eyes, both tracing small circles on the other’s hip. Inexplicably, they both started laughing. He was overwhelmed with joy, about finally giving her an orgasm (not realizing how many orgasms he had indirectly given her already), about laying on a bed naked with her, about the prospect of being inside of her very soon. Normally, he would have been alarmed by a woman crying and then laughing within the space of a few minutes as he touched her in the most intimate way, but he knew she was just feeling the same overwhelming emotions he was.

They started kissing through their mirth and the mood quickly shifted again. His erection was beginning to throb in an uncomfortable way and she seemed to sense that. She reached down between them and gripped his dick as she wiggled her way underneath him. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and his shaft was nestled in her folds. He began thrusting his hips slowly, rubbing the underside of his rock-hard erection up and down, against her soaked labia and clit. She was about to come again so she quickly reached down and adjusted the angle of his erection. With the next slow thrust, Josh was fully inside, as close to Donna as he had ever been.

He froze for a moment and held onto her as if his life depended on it. He squeezed his eyes shut and took one, then two, and then a third steadying breath. He hoped that Donna was feeling even a fraction of the love and ecstasy he was feeling right now.

“Donnatella” he whispered again and again as they rocked together. He kept the same steady pace and reached down to rub her clit. “Donna, I won’t be able to last much longer, how do you want to do this” he managed to get out.

Through heavy breaths and foggy vision, she responded “Come in me Josh. Come with me.”

****************************************************************************************************************************************

**11/5/2006, Election Day, 12:36 a.m.**   
**Houston, TX**

As her body began to convulse, she fought to keep her eyes open because Josh’s O-face was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. As he lay on top of her completely slack, she decided she needed to see it again right away. She had read about simultaneous orgasms in every paperback she ever surreptitiously picked up at the airport, but this was her first time experiencing it. It made her want to sing out loud. She would think about that moment for a long time.

She managed to slide out from under him and go to the bathroom. She heard him whimper a little when his flaccid penis fell out of her, which made her smile. She peed and used a hotel washcloth to clean him off of her thighs. She took a fresh, wet washcloth over to the bed and dripped it onto his back, which made him jump. She giggled and forced him to turn over and lay on his back.

He was still breathing heavily with his eyes shut and the sight filled her with simultaneous longing and contentment. Before he could fully recover, she lay on the bed with her body flush against his and began wiping his flushed skin with the washcloth. She focused on his belly and then his pubic region. With loving tenderness, she wiped his penis and thighs. She looked up to see him intently staring at her. She just smiled and continued her ministrations. A peaceful, albeit heady silence fell over them.

After several minutes, she broke the spell. “Josh?” she said sweetly as she began focusing her attention on his groin.

“Hmmmm?” he responded with a smile in his voice.

She was a little nervous but plowed ahead, “That was the best sex I’ve ever had. But this time, I need you to believe me that when I say harder, I mean it, okay?” All the while, she continued “cleaning him” with the washcloth.


	6. Chapter 6

**11/5/2006, Election Day, 1:14 a.m.**   
**Houston, TX**

He was vaguely aware of his burgeoning erection when she sucker-punched him with THAT. She was still blinking at him sweetly but had discarded the washcloth and was stroking him with her hand now. Before he could react, she started kissing his jaw line and neck, across his shoulders and chest, down his stomach and thighs, spending far too long circling where he most desperately wanted her to go.

He was amazed this was actually happening. He had fantasized about them giving each other head in his old office, one sitting in the chair with the other under the desk. This was so much more affectionate and beautiful than he had imagined. She was licking the length of his shaft up and down and he began mentally reciting the presidents and vice president throughout history in order, to stop himself from exploding in her face.

When she started sucking in earnest, he pulled her up and crushed her body on top of his, bringing their lips together. After several minutes of passionate kissing, Josh pulled away and asked in a gravelly voice, “How do you want it Donnatella?”

She thought she was going to pass out from the overwhelming amount of lust coursing through her veins. She had a longing deep within her and she knew exactly how she needed him to fill it. She looked him square in the eyes and said, “I want it from behind.”

He practically growled as he flipped her onto her stomach and grabbed her hips to bring her up on all fours. He spent several minutes with his face planted firmly between her ass cheeks, licking her full length, from her clit all the way up to her asshole, all the way back down again. She bucked her hips back into his face and he responded by pressing even harder with his tongue. She thought she was going to pass out and breathed out, “Josh I’m ready, fuck me from behind.”

He immediately poised his shaft at the entrance to her incredibly sodden pussy. He wanted to enter slowly, savor every centimeter, but she shoved herself back against him, fully impaling herself on the entire length of his dick. She immediately rocked forward, sliding off of him, and then slammed her ass back into his hips. He grabbed her hips with both hands before she had the chance to do it a third time and hissed “Donna, fucking hell! I’m not going to last a single second longer if you do that again!”

She stilled under his firm grip and allowed him to set the pace. After a few deep breaths, he began thrusting himself firmly within her, his balls slapping her pussy with each thrust. Both of his hands were wrapped around her waist, and he was moving her and his own hips. Every time he slammed into her, she felt an explosion inside her body. “Harder Josh” she ordered.

He began pumping them even faster and harder against each other, and he was sure the noises they were making were loud enough to be heard by the entire floor. She was yelling his name with every thrust and he was grunting loudly in response. “HARDER Josh!” she demanded.

He began fucking her with abandon, giving her what she asked for. Within minutes, they both came as hard as they ever had in their lives. She fell flat on her stomach, breathing hard and convulsing from aftershocks. He remained inside but crouched over her so that his weight was off of her. He could still feel the contractions in his lower belly and the pulsing tightness in his scrotum. After several minutes he pulled out of her slowly and flopped down next to her.

She was on her stomach facing the door and he was on his back facing the window. He reached his arm out towards her and caressed her back until they both slipped into a post-coital slumber, completely unintentionally.


	7. Chapter 7

**11/5/2006, Election Day, 3:06 a.m.**   
**Houston, TX**

She felt him reach towards her from the periphery of a brief but deep slumber. She woke up with a slight pang of regret for falling asleep without kissing or cuddling or talking. He was on the other side of the bed, having passed out barely an hour ago as he stroked her back. She also felt regret that he didn’t get more sleep, as today was the day he had be manically working toward for the last 14 months. She knew what they had done last night was monumental but not more so than what could happen today in the country.

She needed to clean herself up and get them both to focus on the election. As quietly as possible, she climbed out of the bed and tiptoed to the bathroom, picking up her clothes on the way. She wished that they were the only two people on the planet so they could spend the entire day in bed together, but she knew what she was getting into when the night began.

She quickly cleaned herself and was dressing when he appeared in the doorway, gorgeous and rumpled and utterly exhausted. Her heart and stomach did somersaults, but she kept a cool exterior, willing him to focus on the election. She melted for a second when he did that weird thing with the toothpaste and almost blushed when he asked how she was feeling. The truth was, she was wonderfully sore and the thought of how animalistically they had fucked less than two hours ago made her entire body feel alive.

She would go get coffee for them so they could get any weirdness out of the way before the campaign staff started filtering into his room.

***************************************************************************************************************************************

**11/5/2006, Election Day, 3:30 a.m.**   
**Houston, TX**

He was trying not to make it weird, but then he did. He shot out of bed as soon as she was in the bathroom, wanting to give her time to take care of herself but not wanting her to think she needed to sneak out. The truth was, he felt guilty for falling asleep so quickly after they finished the second time. He wanted to spoon her and kiss her and maybe even tell her how much she meant to him but instead he fucked her harder than he had ever done with anyone in his life and passed out like a neanderthal. Secretly, he was impressed with himself and his ability to recover so quickly to go for round two. At his age, that was no easy feat.

He wanted to be romantic this morning and recapture the intensely intimate feeling from last night, but things had shifted dramatically in the hour that they had been asleep. If it hadn’t been election day, they could have slept in and ordered room service and had a shower together. Granted, 20 people would have been pounding on the door demanding something or other…Actually, he wished they were the only two people on the planet. That’s the only way they would get to spend any real time together.

She left to go get them coffee before he had a chance to so much as hug her. But she had pulled up all the news websites and he was quickly consumed by the meaningless data. He was still scrolling the AP when he heard a tentative knock on the door. Without bothering to put on any more clothes, he opened the door with a big smile on his face saying “That was fast—” when Ronna came in.

She gave him a strange look but said, “I can’t sleep. Actually no one can. Let’s get this war room set up!” Before he knew what was happening, the entire campaign staff flooded in. He caught a glimpse of Donna’s pantyhose peeking out from underneath the desk and snatched it up quickly before anyone else noticed it. He sighed deeply, deciding that today was a terrible day to dwell on how he might fuck up any chance they had at a future. He allowed himself to remember their night together warmly as he got dressed but the second he came out of the bathroom, he was no longer Donnatella Moss’s lover, Joshua Lyman. He was officially Matthew Santos’s Campaign Manager and future Chief of Staff, Joshua Lyman.


End file.
